hi everyone we are new to the site but have had a pit bull named kaya for 7 years now, since we have her there have always been problems.she had 4 tumors removed, her womb was bleeding internally and had to be removed. Last week she had a large absis under her belly and this was drained but she has not yet come back to her chirpy self. she means the world to us and we are really worried. we used to have a great vet who was mad about her as she is such a character but hes gone now. The problem she is having now is her back legs, when she is walking she sways around with her back half and cannot climb stairs and also is off her food, she will eat off us such as a sausage from my dinner, not her own food though. Has anyone else had problems like these and is it anything to do with the meds she was on which were BAYTRILL antibiotics, i am thinking of now changing her diet after reading about pedigree , we always thought this was good food but now thanks to you guys we know this isnt the case. Any help or info anyone can give would be greatfully taken as we got kaya as a beaten up stray who was in a really bad way and she has had life bad enough before we got her and we do not want to see her the way she is now. i must say the site is great i only wish i found it sooner. we will post a pic soon of our kaya.
thanks
steve and rosy

First off, hello! The first thing that comes to mind when you describe Kaya's back end swaying and her inability to climb stairs, is the possibility of hip dysplasia. Kaya is an older dog, and she may be becoming symptomatic now for this condition, which is present from the beginning. As for the not eating, she may be holding out for better stuff than dogfood, or she may be painful and not feel like eating much. Hip dysplasia is usually treated either with surgery or pain meds, but with an older dog with lots of arthritic changes to the joint, surgery might not have as good an outcome. Plus it's very expensive to have hips replaced. Without surgery, the treatment usually consists of treatment with a NSAID like Rimadyl. You can also use nutraceuticals like glucosamine, Vit C, etc and some people have excellent results with that.

Another thought that occured is that it could be a neurological thing, that can cause ataxia, incoordinated movements and weakness.

Either way, it's going to be something for your vet to diagnose, since it's awfully hard to do over the internet!

And yes, Pedigree is awful food, and there is a school of thought that says grain based commercial foods are extremely irritating to arthritic conditions. We have two hip dysplastic dogs, one is a GSD with a severe case, and both are pretty much asymptomatic without meds and we feed them a raw diet to avoid grains. The shepard had one hip removed and seems to feel great! I like to avoid meds as much a possible.

Last thought, Baytril is a very strong antibiotic, don't know if it could cause the signs you describe, doesn't seem likely. Baytril is not used much in growing dogs, though, because it can cause damage to the unclosed growth plates. But it's used quite commonly(and way too much) in adult animals.

Steve and rosy,
So sorry to hear about your little girl. One of my dogs lost her appetite from antibiotics, and the other puked his brains out. It bothers lots of dog tummies and as you may have noticed, many vets prescribe people doses. I would go with some boiled chicked and rice. It is really bland and easy on the tummy, but dogs love it. Also, antibiotics destroy all of the good enzymes that aid in digestion, people too. Innova has these added in the food which will help snap her back and keep her healthy after her illness. Despite the urge, I would refuse her people food until she is better. If she gets hungry enough she will eat. I don't eat when I'm sick either. That being said, I worry about mine anyway when they don't want dinner. :roll: Glucosamine and Condrointin supplements can help alot with joint problems. Did your vet x-ray her? Something is obviously going on that is pronounced enough for him to see. Welcome to the board and good luck with your girl.

thanks for the reply and we will take both of your advise. she is going to the vet tomorrow and we will see if she can be xrayed as she has not been yet!. as soon as we hear anything we will post it up, there will propably be blood tests and all to be done(i hate her having to get needles). We are from ireland and a lot of the foods mentioned are none that i have heard off, are they avalable over here and are they only available only in pet stores. she is just swnning around on the couch and has no interest in nothing, she would never even let us touch her paws without pulling away but at the minute she just lies there and does not seem to be aware of what is going on.
so to the vets tomorrow, i must again thankyou from myself and fiance rosy and KAYA(our baby), we really do appreciate all the help and response you have given us, so good luck thanks and talk soon!!
steve and rosy

hi guys
just to let you all know that after all your good advice kaya is doing much better and she now only has a problem with her from left leg, it keeps buckling under her weight but we have been told it may be a pull or sprain as she likes to jump of the couch and lands a good bit away. as she has not been getting much exercise lately this can make it worse aswell, shes mad as she keeps forgetting that her leg is bad and always jumping around so now i carry her over steps and put her onto the couch, she can climb stairs but i know it hurts her so i give her a carry. we have stopped giving her pedigree chum and we are trying a brand in ireland called butchers which is all natural products. she was really down and not herself at all but now that bit of cheeky magic that pits have is back again, even though its hurts she gets up and welcomes me at the door with a loving bark, watches everything what is going on because when ill she was just cut off. she has been sick so many times and she is still with us to make the families lives so much better it is a blessing from god we still have her. these dogs are so tough it is unreal and i think humans have a lot to learn as they never give up. well we will post a pic soon when she is back to 100% and you can all see how beautiful she is(shes gorgeous), a real madam she is, anyone who meets her falls in love. we gave her chicken and rice and she ate every peice of chicken and left the rice the little bleeder, she is so smart.
well thanx for all the good and thanx to your advice on her she is going to be with us for a long while yet.
with thanks steve, rosanne and of course KAYA